To understand the Skill Poker Index, it is crucial to reflect on the effect of variance in poker, particularly the “crack” in the All-In phase before the river. Over thirteen years of observations in the live sector, it’s emerged that the fear of crack and the resulting frustration are common among players. However, PPPs coming from online manage this situation better due to the high frequency of play and the complete assimilation of the “five realities of poker“. A fundamental skill for a poker player is to induce the opponent either to go or call an all-in. However, even with perfect use of this skill, the opponent may improve their hand at the show-down, overturning the outcome of the spot.
Pot distribution and stack conservation
To value skills in live tournaments, no player should risk their entire stack in a spot that has not reached the river yet. Although the experienced player has induced the opponent to bet their entire stack with a worse hand, he hasn’t been concerned with preserving their stack and/or their tournament presence if the board were to go against their initial combination. The
SPI distribution logic rewards the player presenting the best hand in the all-in phase before the river, but at the same time, penalises those who have given up their skills to preserve their stack and/or tournament presence. This approach aims to encourage players to develop more advanced strategies, focusing on stack management and risk control, rather than relying solely on the strength of the initial hands or luck in the river.
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